CANADA HISTORY

Golden Summer

In the summer of 1914, Canada, like much of the world, basked in the optimism of an era characterized by progress, peace, and economic prosperity. The Canadian economy was flourishing; crops were thriving, industries were growing, and the country seemed poised for a bright future under the leadership of Conservative Prime Minister Robert Borden, who had replaced Wilfrid Laurier in 1911. Canada was a land of opportunity, with immigrants pouring in to settle the vast western plains, and urbanization was beginning to reshape the social and economic landscape. However, beneath this surface of optimism, political tensions in Europe were bubbling, and the events of that fateful summer would soon drag Canada into a war that would reshape the nation and the world.

The Peaceful, Progressive World of 1914

As the year began, the world seemed to be on an upward trajectory. Technological innovations and industrial advances were transforming societies across Europe and North America, leading to unprecedented economic growth and rising living standards. In Canada, agriculture and manufacturing were booming. Western Canada, in particular, was experiencing a surge in population as settlers, primarily from Europe and the United States, took advantage of the Canadian government’s immigration policies to claim land on the prairies. Cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver were growing rapidly, spurred by the development of infrastructure and a rising demand for Canadian resources.

At the same time, Canada’s ties to the British Empire remained strong. Although Canada had achieved Dominion status in 1867, meaning it had control over its internal affairs, its foreign policy was still dictated by London. The country was deeply enmeshed in the imperial mindset of the time, seeing itself as part of a global British community. When Robert Borden took office, he followed in the footsteps of Laurier in maintaining a commitment to the Empire, while also pushing for Canada’s expanding role on the world stage. Few Canadians foresaw how drastically the country’s involvement in the coming global conflict would change its national identity.

Europe on the Brink

While Canada enjoyed peace and prosperity, Europe was becoming a tinderbox of political and military rivalries. The continent was divided into two major military alliances: the Triple Entente, consisting of France, Russia, and Great Britain, and the Triple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. These alliances, formed to provide security against mutual threats, paradoxically increased the likelihood of war. A single spark could set off a chain reaction, dragging all the major powers into a conflict from which there was no easy escape.

That spark came in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, a nationalist group seeking the liberation of Bosnia from Austrian rule. Austria-Hungary saw the assassination as an opportunity to assert its dominance in the Balkans and issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which many saw as a thinly veiled attempt to annex the country. Serbia’s refusal to comply fully with the demands led Austria-Hungary, with Germany’s backing, to declare war on July 28, 1914.

As the crisis escalated, Russia, a protector of Slavic nations, mobilized to defend Serbia. Germany, fearing a two-front war with Russia in the east and France in the west, implemented the Schlieffen Plan, which called for a quick strike against France through neutral Belgium. This violated Belgium’s neutrality and brought Britain into the war on August 4, triggering a domino effect that drew in all the major European powers.

Canada’s Involvement in the War

In Canada, the response to the outbreak of war was swift. At the time, Canada had no independent authority over its foreign policy. When Britain declared war on August 4, 1914, Canada was automatically at war as well. Prime Minister Borden, who had been vacationing in Muskoka, was called back to Ottawa. The Governor General, Field Marshal H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, sent a message to the British Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs, expressing Canada’s firm commitment to the Empire. He stated that the Canadian people would make every sacrifice necessary to uphold the honour and integrity of the Empire.

With Britain’s entry into the war, Canada had no choice but to follow. The political debate in Parliament was brief. There was overwhelming support for the war effort, and even French Canadians, despite their reservations about fighting for the British Empire, did not initially oppose Canada’s involvement. On August 18, 1914, a special emergency session of Parliament convened to discuss Canada’s war efforts, marking the official entry of the nation into what would become The Great War.

A Nation Transformed by War

For most Canadians, the prospect of war was greeted with enthusiasm. Thousands of men rushed to enlist, driven by a sense of duty, adventure, and patriotism. In August 1914, Prime Minister Borden had pledged to send 25,000 troops to aid the British cause, but as the war progressed, Canada’s commitment would grow exponentially. By the end of the war, 620,000 Canadians had served in the military, an astonishing figure for a country with a population of only seven million.

The war also transformed Canada’s economy. What had been a predominantly agricultural nation with burgeoning industries suddenly became a war machine. Factories that once produced consumer goods were converted to manufacture munitions, weapons, and uniforms. The Canadian economy, which had been struggling through a depression in 1913, was reinvigorated by the war effort. Unemployment fell, and Canadian businesses profited from lucrative war contracts, especially in industries like steel, textiles, and chemicals.

Politically, the war brought new challenges. As the war dragged on and the casualty lists grew, the need for more soldiers became acute. By 1917, Borden, under intense pressure to maintain troop levels, introduced conscription, a policy that deeply divided the country. French Canadians, who had been largely reluctant to support the war, vehemently opposed conscription, seeing it as an imposition by English Canada. The conscription crisis would leave lasting scars on the country’s political landscape and fuel tensions between English and French Canada for decades.

Canada's National Identity

Beyond the immediate political and economic impacts, World War I had a profound effect on Canada’s national identity. Canadian troops earned a reputation as formidable soldiers, particularly after the success at Vimy Ridge in 1917, a battle that many historians view as a defining moment for Canada as a nation. The achievement at Vimy, where Canadian forces captured a strategic ridge after other Allied forces had failed, became a symbol of Canadian resilience and independence. It marked the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together as a unified army, separate from British command.

For Canadians, the war became a crucible in which a national identity was forged. Canada entered the war as a dominion of the British Empire but emerged as a more confident and autonomous nation. By the end of the conflict, Canada had earned a seat at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and it signed the Treaty of Versailles independently of Britain—a significant step toward full sovereignty, which would be formalized with the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931.

The golden summer of 1914, a time of peace and prosperity in Canada, quickly gave way to the horrors of World War I. The war fundamentally altered the course of Canadian history, reshaping its economy, politics, and sense of national identity. What began as a commitment to the British Empire grew into a defining moment for Canada, as the country’s contributions to the war effort demonstrated its capabilities as an independent actor on the world stage. While the war left scars, both in terms of lives lost and the deep divisions caused by conscription, it also sowed the seeds of Canadian nationhood, solidifying its place among the world's sovereign states. The war, with all its sacrifices and triumphs, played a crucial role in shaping the Canada we know today.